A Kilkenny family have been left devastated after an eight-year-old local girl had life-changing scoliosis surgery cancelled again.
Eight-year-old Brianna Phelan, from the Johnswell Road area, was one of three children whose operations were cancelled at Temple Street Hospital due to the complex nature of the procedure and the ongoing pressure on the health system.
Her mother Triona told us they were ‘ecstatic’ when they got a new date for the surgery but the operation had to be cancelled again yesterday with no bed available.
Brianna has been on the waiting list for three years for the procedure which would allow her to regain some independence.
Triona told KCLR Live this morning she is amazed at her young daughter’s resilience:
“I don’t know how she does it either because I wouldn’t be able to go through it, she’s just sitting up now in the bed smiling at everybody and talking to everybody,” said Triona.
